Ecclesiastes 9:18

Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Wisdom	חָכְמָ֖ה chokh.mah	H2451	wisdom (in a good sense) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
better	טוֹבָ֥ה to.Vah	H2896	good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · adjective, feminine singular absolute
weapons	מִכְּלֵ֣י mi.ke.Lei	H3627	something prepared · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
war	קְרָ֑ב ke.Rav	H7128	hostile encounter · noun, common masculine singular absolute
one	אֶחָ֔ד 'e.Chad	H259	properly · cardinal number, feminine singular absolute
sinner	וְחוֹטֶ֣א ve.cho.Te'	H2398	properly · conjunction + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
destroyeth	יְאַבֵּ֥ד ye.'a.Bed	H6	properly · verb, piel imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
much	הַרְבֵּֽה har.Beh	H7235	to increase (in whatever respect) · verb, hiphil infinitive absolute
good	טוֹבָ֥ה to.Vah	H2896	good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · noun, common feminine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Joshua 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of t…
Joshua 7:11-12 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and…
Joshua 7:5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in th…
Ecclesiastes 9:16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.
2 Timothy 2:16-18 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having it…
2 Timothy 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
Titus 1:10-11 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 9:13–end

Solomon still recommends wisdom to us as necessary to the preserving of our peace and the perfecting of our business, notwithstanding the vanities and crosses which human affairs are subject to. He had said (Ecc 9:11), Bread is not always to the wise; yet he would not therefore be thought either to disparage, or to discourage, wisdom, no, he still retains his principle, that wisdom excels folly as much as light excels darkness (Ecc 2:13), and we ought to love and embrace it, and be governed by it, for the sake of its own intrinsic worth, and the capacity it gives us of being serviceable to others, though we ourselves should not get wealth and preferment by it. This wisdom, that is, this whic…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ecclesiastes 9:18

one sinner, &c.-- (Jos 7:1, Jos 7:11-12). Though wisdom excels folly (Ecc 9:16; Ecc 7:19), yet a "little folly (equivalent to sin) can destroy much good," both in himself (Ecc 10:1; Jam 2:10) and in others. "Wisdom" must, from the antithesis to "sinner," mean religion. Thus typically, the "little city" may be applied to the Church (Luk 12:32; Heb 12:22); the great king to Satan (Joh 12:31); the despised poor wise man, Jesus Christ (Isa 53:2-3; Mar 6:3; Co2 8:9; Eph 1:7-8; Col 2:3). Next: Ecclesiastes Chapter 10

John Gill on Ecclesiastes 9:18

Wisdom is better than weapons of war,.... And does what they cannot do; of which the wisdom of the poor wise man is a full proof, which delivered the city from a potent prince, when weapons of war could not: see Ecclesiastes 7:10; but one sinner destroyeth much good: his own soul by his sins, and the souls of others by his counsels, example, and conversation, which corrupt good manners; so does one sinner in a family, neighbourhood, and town; as one poor wise man does much good, one sinner mars much; one Achan in a camp or army, one bad counsel for in a cabinet, one false teacher in the church, will do a great deal of mischief, as well as one debauchee in a town or city. The Vulgate Latin v…

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The Church Fathers

"And wisdom is better than weapons, but a single rogue can ruin a great deal of good. "Now he also takes wisdom in preference to strength and says that it is worth more in battle than weapons. But if there is one fool, however small and worthless, he will repeatedly destroy riches and great wealth by his stupidity. But because the Hebrew can also be read as: 'and he who sins once, will lose much goodness', much righteousness will be lost in return and virtues will follow in turn, and he who has one, has all [Cfr. Cic de Offic. II, 35.]; and he who sins at one time, leaves himself open to all vices [Cfr. Iac. 2, 10.].
— Jerome, Commentary on Ecclesiastes

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Arms, Military · Inferior to wisdom — Inferior to wisdom
Company · EVIL — EVIL
Wisdom · .UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — .UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Ecclesiastes 9:18

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 9:13–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ecclesiastes 9:18

John Gill on Ecclesiastes 9:18

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Ecclesiastes 9:18

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 9:13–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ecclesiastes 9:18

John Gill on Ecclesiastes 9:18

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Ecclesiastes 9:18–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ecclesiastes 9:18–end

Rashi on Ecclesiastes 9:18